Waukesha County, Wisconsin
Waukesha County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2008, the population was 380,629. Its county seat is Waukesha. History The part of Wisconsin that Waukesha County now occupies was a part of Michigan when Milwaukee County was organized in September 1834. On July 4, 1836, the Wisconsin Territory was formed, which included land currently in the state of Minnesota. In January 1846, part of Milwaukee County was split off into Waukesha County. Curtis Reed was the first county chairman. When voting took place to decide the county seat, Waukesha beat out Pewaukee by two votes. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 580 square miles (1,503 km²), of which 556 square miles (1,439 km²) is land and 25 square miles (65 km²) (4.29%) is water. Lake country Because of its large number of lakes, the northwestern corner of Waukesha County is referred to as "Lake Country" by local residents. It includes Pewaukee, Delafield, Hartland, Merton, Nashotah, Chenequa, Okauchee Lake, Oconomowoc, Summit, and Lac La Belle. Major highways Adjacent counties *Washington County - north *Ozaukee County - northeast *Milwaukee County - east *Racine County - southeast *Walworth County - southwest *Jefferson County - west *Dodge County - northwest Demographics }} As of the census of 2000, there were 360,767 people, 135,229 households, and 100,475 families residing in the county. The population density was 649 people per square mile (251/km²). There were 140,309 housing units at an average density of 252 per square mile (98/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.77% White, 0.73% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 1.49% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.87% from other races, and 0.90% from two or more races. 2.63% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 44.5% were of German, 9.2% Polish, Italian 7.5%, and 7.7% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000. 94.3% spoke English, 2.2% Spanish and 1.2% German as their first language. There were 135,229 households out of which 35.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.80% were married couples living together, 6.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.70% were non-families. 20.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.08. In the county, the population was spread out with 26.30% under the age of 18, 6.80% from 18 to 24, 29.80% from 25 to 44, 25.10% from 45 to 64, and 12.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.40 males. The median income for a household in the county was $62,839, and the median income for a family was $71,773 (these figures had risen to $71,907 and $85,116 respectively as of a 2007 estimate ). Males had a median income of $49,232 versus $31,643 for females. The per capita income for the county was $29,164. About 1.7% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.5% of those under age 18 and 4.0% of those age 65 or over. Government Elected officials *County Executive: Daniel P. Vrakas *County Board Chair: James T. Dwyer *County Clerk: Kathy Nickolaus ® *Treasurer: Pamela F. Reeves ® *Register of Deeds: James Behrend ® *Clerk of Circuit Court: Kathy Madden ® *District Attorney: Brad Schimel ® *Sheriff: Daniel Trawicki ® Departments There are 12 departments in Waukesha County, with most located in the Administration Center. *'Administration' The Department of Administration has five divisions that provide administrative services to the county: the finance division, the human resources division, the information technology division, the purchasing and risk management division, and the administrative services division. *'Aging and Disability Resource Center' "The Aging and Disability Resource Center of Waukesha County (ADRC) is a single access point for publicly funded long term care in Waukesha County. The ADRC provides information, assistance, counseling and supportive services for older adults age 60 and above; caregivers; adults with physical or developmental disabilities; and adults with mental health or substance abuse concerns."Mission Statement from http://www.waukeshacounty.gov/page.aspx?SetupMetaId=336&id=94 *'Airport' Waukesha County's airport serves both commercial and private aircraft and is supervised by the Airport Commission. *'Corporation Counsel' *'Emergency Preparedness' *'Federated Library System' Waukesha County Federated Library System (WCFLS) works in partnership with 16 independent public libraries in Waukesha County to develop and coordinate effective cooperative library services. Examples of WCFLS and member libraries cooperation include purchase of shared electronic databases, summer library programming, and van delivery service allowing residents to borrow and return library materials to any WCFLS member library. WCFLS also oversees Internet access to member libraries. *'Health and Human Services' *'Medical Examiner' The Medical Examiner investigates suspicious deaths or deaths that result from a homicide, suicide, accident, or are otherwise unexplained. This office works closely with law enforcement and public health officials to resolve current issues as well as to generate statistics for the county. *'Parks and Land Use' The Department of Parks and Land Use, or PLU, oversees six divisions that design and maintain county parks. The division also works with state and federal agencies. The planning division administers permits for construction and landscaping activities in the county. The land conservation division works to educate on and regulate soil and water issues in the county. Most programs look to control water runoff and soil erosion. The recycling and solid waste division oversees the recycling and disposal programs of the county. They also complete educational outreach on topics like composting and waste reduction as well as tours of the county's Material Recycling Facility. The official mascot of the Recycling division is Recycle Raccoon. The environmental health division inspects animal welfare issues, food safety issues (like inspecting restaurants), and air, water and sewage, and safety issues (such as radon testing, well testing, and septic system monitoring). The land information systems division coordinates databases of information into geographic and visual representations of data for land use and development. *'Public Works' *'Sheriff' *'University of Wisconsin Extension' Waukesha County UW-Extension serves as an outreach source for residents to attain resources from the University of Wisconsin system. The UW Extension office is located on the ground floor of the county Administration Center. The UW-Extension office also houses 180° Juvenile Diversion, a non-profit organization that rehabilitates first-time young offenders in Waukesha County. The program also has a strong partnership with the Office of the District Attorney. *'Veterans' Politics Waukesha County is recognized nationally as one of the Republican Party's most solid suburban strongholds. In 2008, John McCain carried the county by a 25.7% margin over Barack Obama, when Obama won Wisconsin by 13.9% over McCain.2008 U.S. Presidential Election Results Cities, villages, and towns :Note- due to a zoning issue, a single acre of Waukesha County was annexed by the City of Milwaukee (which otherwise is fully within Milwaukee County) in 2003 to accommodate the Ambrosia Chocolate Factory.http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4196/is_20030730/ai_n10903144 Unincorporated communities *Buena Vista *Colgate *Eagleville *Genesee Depot *Goerke's Corners *Jericho *Lake Five *Mapleton *Monches *Monterey *North Lake *Okauchee Lake *Saylesville *Stone Bank *Summit Center *Summit Corners *Vernon Ghost towns *Muskego Settlement *Nya Upsala See also * National Register of Historic Places listings in Waukesha County, Wisconsin References External links *Waukesha County government website Category:Counties of Wisconsin Category:Waukesha County, Wisconsin Category:Established in 1846